1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to gaming machines. More particularly, the present invention discloses a method and apparatus for providing gaming machines with enhanced payline indicators, attract mode features, and additional game play opportunities using electroluminescent displays.
2. The Prior Art
Traditional Las Vegas style slot machines are generally well known. In particular, the slot machines have a display area visible to a player that allows viewing of either physical slot reels, reel strips, or video displays showing pseudo-reels. The reels either spin or appear to spin, stopping with various game indicia visible to the user through a viewing area or display. A typical display will show a set of individual indicia in a matrix (column×row) format. A typical slot may have one of many typical indicia patterns visible to a player, such as 3 indicia vertically and 3 indicia horizontally (3×3) for a total of 9 indicia showing, 3 vertical and 4 horizontal (3×4) for a total of 12 indicia showing, and so forth.
If the gaming machine uses slots or reel strips, methods of indicating winning paylines to a player have been limited due to the physical construction of the display area. Playable paylines are typically made part of the game glass that sits over the visible game indicia. In these cases, the possible paylines are simply colored pointers or lines that a player uses to determine for themselves (depending on the wager) if they have won or not, after the reels stop. They provide little in the way of helping a player recognize winning paylines; payline recognition must be done by the player.
Some games have been fitted with backlighting to try and indicate paylines, but backlighting (using small incandescent light bulbs encased within plastic cells facing towards the front panel, shining through the top glass) has limited functionality. Due to lack of space, back lighting may be used to illuminate one or perhaps two predefined payline options, but little else. In addition, such methods are not usable between reels due to space limitations.
Gaming machines using pure video displays have a slightly better ability to show paylines. Because video displays can be programmed to the pixel level, wining paylines may be displayed on the video screen showing lines that appear to be on top visible game indicia to indicate paylines. This is an improvement over gaming machine using reels or reel tapes, but cannot be used to show or indicate anything outside the viewing area. In addition, this apparatus has no applicability to physical reel and reel tape machines, leaving them without any payline indicators other than passive glasswork.
Further, all of the above illumination methods cannot provide for player attract mode in the display area.
Thus, there is a need for a better method of showing potential paylines to a player, indicating paying paylines, and providing player attract modes in the gaming machine area immediately around the visible game indicia.